


The Picnic

by Athena83



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 21:43:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16626959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athena83/pseuds/Athena83





	1. Chapter One

You had been part of Yondu’s crew for a couple of years, working as his navigator. You didn’t think he actually needed a dedicated navigator – they seemed to be doing just fine before you came along – but you were grateful for the opportunity. You had been working for a cartographer on Xandar when you met Yondu. It was an easy job, and while you were glad to have a good job, it did get boring at times, and you dreamed of something more. You never imagined an escape would come in the shape of a Centaurian Ravager Captain, however. 

Yondu had visited the shop several times over the course of a few months – he needed new maps, he said – and you were always happy to see him. You loved hearing about his travels through the galaxy, and he seemed to enjoy having an interested audience. The last time he had shown up, you had been feeling particularly restless, and Yondu had noticed. He’d asked what was wrong, and you’d told him of your dreams of leaving Xandar and seeing the galaxy. He’d stood in silence for a moment while he examined a map hanging on the wall, and then asked if you were good at navigating. You’d told him yes, that you had been studying maps with your grandfather since before you could even read. It was then that he’d changed your life forever by asking you to join his crew as a navigator. 

After you confirmed that he was actually being serious, and not just trying to play an awful joke on you, you hadn’t hesitated to accept his offer. You’d told the cartographer goodbye, gone home to pack a few things, and joined the crew on the Eclector. You had no real ties on Xandar anymore – your parents and grandparents had died years before, and your long hours working for the cartographer ensured that your social life was non-existent. 

A voice interrupted your memories.

“Cap’n’s lookin’ fer ya, Y/N,” called Kraglin, walking up to where you sat looking out at the stars. 

“Thanks, Kraglin,” you replied. 

Kraglin had become a good friend since you’d come aboard. You were about the same age and were both from Xandar, so you had a good bit in common. 

“I think he wants to ask ya about that new map y’all picked up last week,” he replied.

“Okay, lead the way,” you said, standing up to follow him. 

You walked beside him as you headed for the room next to Yondu’s quarters – it was where he usually met you to discuss maps, although recently you had talked about things other than maps. You thought he might have even started considering you a friend, which made you happier than you would care to admit. 

“You comin’ out with us tonight?” asked Kraglin.

“Where are y’all going?”

“I think most of the crew wants to go to Contraxia,” he replied.

“I think I’ll pass,” you smirked. “I’ll probably just stay in and read.”

“You should come with us. Have some fun.”

“Reading is fun, thank you. Plus, I so rarely get to enjoy peace and quiet, so I like to savor the moments when you noisy Ravagers are off the ship,” you teased. 

“Fine,” said Kraglin, grinning, as you reached the room where Yondu was waiting for you.

“Cap’n,” Kraglin gave a Ravager salute, then sat down at the opposite end of the table from where Yondu sat.

“Kraglin,” Yondu nodded. “Hey, Y/N.”

“Hey, Yondu,” you smiled, as you sat down in the chair next to him. 

You were normally a bit more formal with your Captain when other crew members were around, but when it was just Kraglin and Yondu, you were able to relax a little more. 

“What’s up?” you asked.

“I jus’ wanted to know what ya thought about this route to Astra. Might be headin’ there next. Got a chance for a lucrative job.”

“Let me see.”

He passed the map to you, and you spent a few minutes studying it. He and Kraglin talked while they waited for you to complete your task.

When you were finished, you slid the map back to him, and said, “It looks good for the most part, but you might want to alter the route just a little right here.” You pointed to a spot on the map. “There’s a nasty asteroid field through there.”

“Knew I was makin’ a good decision when I offered ya this job,” he flashed his crooked grin, and you beamed back at him. “I thought we might stop on Xandar on the way and commission a few new maps. We can spend a few days there while we wait for ‘em to be finished.”

“Great! Autumn on Xandar was always my favorite time of the year,” you said.

“Do they still do the fair in the Autumn?” asked Kraglin. 

“Yes! Maybe we’ll be there at the same time as the fair so we can go!”

You couldn’t help the excitement that crept into your voice. You loved your life on the Eclector, but you did miss some things about your home planet, and the Autumn fair was one of them. 

“What’s so special ‘bout this fair?” asked Yondu.

“It’s just fun!” You laughed. “There are games, treats for the children, and everyone is in a good mood. It’s so festive, and there is so much food!”

“I always liked the maze when I was a kid,” Kraglin piped in.

“And the little skits that the older kids would perform,” you added.

“I always wanted to get a picnic basket from someone, until my cousin explained it to me. I didn’t care ‘bout the meanin’ behind it. I jus’ wanted all the goodies,” sighed Kraglin.

You laughed, as Yondu, looking confused, asked, “Picnic basket? What about a picnic basket?”

Kraglin answered, “It was just a tradition on Xandar, givin’ a basket of food to someone. Guess it was fun or somethin’.” He shrugged. 

“Why would that be fun? Just buy yer own food,” muttered Yondu.

You shook your head. _Ravagers._

“It’s to show someone that you care for them! That you appreciate them enough to take time to fix their favorite foods, pack a basket, and carry them somewhere special to have a picnic. It’s symbolic.”

“A picnic?” Yondu still look confused.

“Yeah.”

“What’s so great ‘bout a picnic?”

“It’s sweet! It’s meant to get you away from the hustle and bustle so you can be alone with the one you care about. It’s romantic to just be with the one you love without any distractions. Just you, your love, and the beautiful scenery.”

You blushed. You weren’t good at discussing things like love and feelings at the best of times, yet here you were talking about them in front of Yondu and Kraglin.

Yondu was staring at you intently, but Kraglin only said, “I jus’ wanted the food. ‘Course I was just a kid.”

Yondu huffed. “Well, I ain’t ever heard of givin’ somebody a box of food.”

You sighed. “It’s not a box. And the food isn’t the point.”

“Box, basket, whatever. So what kinda food do ya give? Somethin’ fancy?” he asked.

Despite his gruff attitude, you could tell Yondu was interested, otherwise he would have already changed the subject.

“Not necessarily,” you answered. “It can be simple – just things you think the person would like. Sandwiches, little cakes or something. Like I said, the food isn’t really the point.”

“Huh,” Yondu replied.

“All this talk of food has made me hungry. I’m goin’ to the mess hall. You comin, Y/N?” asked Kraglin, standing up. 

“Yeah, I’m kinda hungry now, too. What about you, Captain?”

“Nah. Y’all go on. I got some stuff to take care of.”

“Suit yourself,” you said, smiling, as you joined Kraglin at the door. “See you later.”

Yondu nodded, then turned his attention to the map in front of him.


	2. Chapter Two

A few weeks had passed since Yondu had mentioned going to Xandar, and you were beginning to think he had forgotten about it. You hoped he hadn’t – you had been looking forward to the Autumn fair ever since your conversation that day, and you were afraid you’d miss it completely if he didn’t head there soon. 

Sighing, you returned to the list you were making. Yondu had asked you to put together a list of maps for him to commission. He already had a few in mind, but he said he trusted your judgment about the others. You were still planning to run the list by him before actually commissioning any of them, but the fact that he trusted you meant the world to you. 

“Oh, Ariston! That’s a good one,” you muttered to yourself, adding the planet to your list. 

“Talkin’ to yerself now?” quipped Kraglin, standing at the door to your study.

Startled, you looked up. “Yes, sometimes it’s nice to talk to someone with a little sense,” you teased, throwing a wadded-up piece of paper at him, which he easily dodged. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to sneak up on someone like that?”

“Sorry,” he grinned, though you knew he wasn’t. 

He sat down in the chair across from you.

“Still workin’ on that map list?” he asked.

“Yep. I think I have enough for now, though.”

“Lemme see,” he said, holding out his hand.

You passed the list to him and leaned back in your chair, stretching your arms above your head.

“Looks good to me,” he said, passing the list back to you. “’Specially Ariston. I know Yondu’s been wantin’ to start workin’ that side of the galaxy.”

“Oh, good! I was thinking he might need to head out a little farther after that close call last week,” you smirked.

“Yep. Might be time to get outta Dodge for a bit,” he agreed, standing up again. 

“Has he told you when he’s planning on going to Xandar?”

“Nope, but I heard him on the holoscreen the other day, askin’ when the Autumn fair was,” he smirked, with a mischievous glint in his eye. 

“What? Why would Yondu care about the fair?”

“Dunno,” he said, still grinning. “I gotta go. Jus’ wanted to say hey when I saw ya workin’ in here. Ya know how things fall apart when I ain’t there to keep the crew in line.”

You laughed. “Yes, this ship would fall into chaos without you, Kraglin.”

“See ya later, Y/N,” he waved, walking out.

“Bye!”

So Yondu hadn’t forgotten about the fair after all. You couldn’t imagine that he cared about it for himself, but you also couldn’t believe he’d worry about timing his trip to Xandar just so you could go to the fair. Although you couldn’t deny that the thought brightened your day considerably. 

Straightening up the papers on your table, you were startled yet again, this time by an even more welcome voice.

“Hey, Y/N.”

“Hey, Yondu! Has anyone on your crew ever heard of knocking?” You started picking up the papers you had dropped upon his arrival, leaning down to pick up one that had fallen to the floor – mainly to hide your blushing face. Curse your face, always giving away your emotions. 

When you returned to your sitting position, you found that Yondu had sat down across from you.

“Ain’t nobody been botherin’ ya, have they?” he inquired, with a concerned look.

“Oh, no, Kraglin just scared the wits out of me a few minutes ago. Guess I was too involved in my work to hear him walk up.”

“Yeah, I noticed that ‘bout ya. When yer workin’ on somethin’, ya kinda zone out. Ya don’t pay attention to nothin’ else. An’ it’s hard to ignore a bunch of rowdy Ravagers, but it don’t seem to bother ya.”

You could feel your face going red again to think of him paying that much attention to you when you weren’t aware of it. 

“Yeah, it’s a talent, I guess.”

He grinned. “How’s the map list goin’?”

“Good!” you said, thankful for the change of subject. “I think I’m finished.”

You handed the list to him, and watched as he read through the name of the planets.

“Looks good. Ya picked some good ones. ‘Specially Ariston – we might wanna head out there after we leave Xandar.”

You grinned, remembering your conversation with Kraglin a few minutes earlier. “Yeah, I thought it might be time to try an area as far as possible from Mobius after that little mishap last week.”

“Ya heard ‘bout that, huh? Kraglin tell ya?”

“No, I actually heard Oblo regaling the whole crew with the thrilling story in the mess hall that night after y’all got back,” you said, still grinning.

“Shoulda known. Buncha big mouths. Wasn’t my fault, ya know? That entrance _was_ unguarded on our scoutin’ trip.”

“I’m sure it was,” you said kindly.

“Don’t want ya thinkin’ yer Captain usually messes up like that.”

He looked so earnest, and you weren’t sure why he should care what you thought of him. 

“I don’t think that at all.”

“Good,” he replied, flashing you his crooked grin.

You couldn’t help but smile back. 

“Ya finished the list right on time. Gonna be headin’ to Xandar tomorrow.”

“Really?! I was wondering when we were going.” You were practically bouncing in your seat.

Yondu laughed. “Excited, huh?”

“Yes! I hope we haven’t missed the fair! You’re going to love it.”

He shook his head. “I ain’t the fair-goin’ kinda man.”

“Nonsense. You have to go to the Autumn fair at least once.”

“I dunno… it ain’t my sort a thing,” he hedged.

“You’re going, even if I have to drag you there myself.”

“Is that right?” he asked, with a mischievous smile.

“Yes,” you nodded, though you hoped he didn’t call your bluff – he was a lot stronger than you. You’d never get him out the door if he didn’t want to go.

“Well, we’ll see ‘bout that,” he smirked.

You were about to reply when his wrist communicator beeped. He pressed a button and asked, “What is it, Tullk?”

“Cap’n, Vorker needs ya in the maintenance wing. He’s got some questions ‘bout that damaged M-ship.”

“Tell ‘em I’m on my way.”

“Yes, Cap’n.”

Yondu pressed another button to end the call, then stood up, picking up the map list as he did so. “Duty calls.”

“Indeed,” you said.

“I’ll be waitin’ on ya to drag me off the ship in the mornin’,” he said, as he walked to the door. He didn’t turn around, but you could hear the smile in his voice. 

“I’ll be there,” you replied. “Night, Yondu.”

“G’night, Y/N.”


	3. Chapter Three

You had been so excited about the fair that it had taken almost three hours for you to finally fall asleep the night before. And, you had to admit to yourself, thoughts of Yondu had also kept you awake. You had tried to deny it for a while, but you couldn’t lie to yourself anymore. You had feelings for him, but you knew you could never tell a soul. There was no way that Yondu would ever return your feelings, and if your secret got out, the crew would tease you mercilessly. 

Sighing, you threw back your blankets and rolled out of bed. Halfway to your bathroom, you remembered the fair, which had you rushing to take your shower and finish getting ready. 

Forty minutes later, you were sitting in the mess hall, drinking a cup of coffee and eating a piece of buttered toast while you waited for more of the crew to show up. Finally, you saw Kraglin walk in. You waved enthusiastically, and he waved back – albeit a little less enthusiastically – as he walked to the coffee maker. 

When he finally joined you at your table, you greeted him with a cheery, “Good morning!”

“Mornin’,” he mumbled, as he took a sip of coffee. 

“I thought you might be a little more excited this morning. The fair might already be open!”

“I might be a little more excited after I finish my coffee an’ finish wakin’ up,” he grumbled.

You rolled your eyes as you took another bite of your toast.

“So when are we landing?” you asked him.

“Should be any minute. Yondu gave orders to have the ship docked first thing this mornin’.”

“Then hurry up and finish eating!” You hurriedly finished the last of your coffee, and almost ran to carry your dishes to the back. You placed them in the sink, then practically skipped back to the table. Kraglin was eating the last of his toast when you returned. 

“You are such a slow eater! Come on!”

“I ain’t a slow eater, yer just impatient,” he complained.

“Yes, I am. I just can’t wait to see if the fair is open yet! Here, I’ll carry those dishes for you,” you said, picking up his empty plate and coffee cup. “You’ll take too long.”

You ran them to the back, weaving around a couple of Ravagers who were carrying plates piled high with food to a table. “Sorry!” you yelled over your shoulder. Thankfully Kraglin was already waiting for you at the door when you returned.

“Are you ready?” you gasped, holding a stitch in your side. He nodded. Trying to keep your face blank, you asked, “Is Yondu going?” 

“Still plannin’ to drag me off the ship, darlin’?”

You whirled around to see Yondu walking up behind you.

You knew your face was bright red as you replied, “If I have to.”

Yondu laughed. “Lucky fer you, I decided to check out this fair of yers, since ya seemed so excited ‘bout it.”

“You won’t regret it!”

“I’m sure I won’t,” he drawled, with a wink.

You weren’t sure what that was supposed to mean, so you focused on trying to walk normally as you headed for the ship’s exit with Yondu and Kraglin. They talked about a tip Kraglin had gotten about a possible new mission, but you were too excited about the fair to pay much attention to them. By the time you walked off the ship, you could barely keep yourself from jumping up and down. 

“Y’all go on an’ see if the fair is open. I gotta go commission those maps an’ run a couple more errands. I’ll catch up with y’all later,” stated Yondu.

“Aye, Cap’n,” Kraglin saluted, as you said, “This better not be an excuse to avoid the fair.”

“’Course not, darlin’,” flashing you that grin of his that you could never resist. “Jus’ gotta take care of some business first, so I can spend the rest of the day with my favorite navigator.”

You blushed again – would you ever stop blushing in front of him? - and replied, “Fine, but we better see you soon.”

“Don’t worry, ya will,” he promised, as he walked backwards away from you. He waved, then turned around to head towards the main part of the city. 

“C’mon, Y/N, let’s go see if the fair is open. Yondu told me today was the first day, so we ain’t missed nothin’ yet.”

“You knew today was the first day and you didn’t tell me? You knew I was worried we’d miss it!” 

“Yondu wouldn’t let ya miss it. He could tell what it meant to ya,” he replied, as he started walking in the direction of the fairground.

Almost giddy at his words and with excitement about the fair, you ran to catch up with him.

“So, what are we going to do first?” you asked, skipping alongside him.

“Dunno. Maybe we can stop by the food booths first.”

“You just ate breakfast!”

“Yeah, well, I’m still hungry, and a hot cinnamon apple fritter sounds good.”

“You’re right, it does,” you agreed. “Fine, we’ll do that first, then the maze.”

“Sounds good to me.”

You could hear the sounds of the fairground as you approached: the general buzz of a large group of people talking and laughing, and the shrieks of excited children. It was a beautiful day – the sky was a perfect shade of blue, with only a few white fluffy cloud drifting across it. As you rounded a corner, you saw the fair burst into view – brightly colored flags waved against the blue sky, and you saw Xandarians bustling about at the different booths. You noticed a couple were already carrying picnic baskets. 

You gasped. It was exactly as you remembered it, and you couldn’t believe you were actually here. You and Kraglin walked through the crowds for a few minutes, until he finally spotted the apple fritter booth.

“There it is,” he pointed. “Let’s go.” He grabbed your hand and pulled you along as he wove his way through the crowd. After he bought apple fritters for both of you, you headed towards the maze.

“This is the best day,” you exclaimed, between bites of your fritter.

“Yeah, I guess it was worth gettin’ up early for,” Kraglin agreed, licking crumbs off his fingers.

“Of course it was!”

You tossed your empty fritter wrappers into a trash receptacle you passed, then said, “There’s the maze entrance! Let’s go!” 

As you entered the maze, Kraglin said, “Yer not gonna get us lost, are ya?”

You scoffed. “Of course not! I’m a navigator – we don’t get lost.”

“I’d hate to get left behind when the Eclector leaves because we can’t find our way out,” he teased.

“ _You_ might get left behind, because I might leave you to fend for yourself in here, just for that comment,” you laughed.

After wandering through the maze for a while, you nonchalantly commented, “I wonder if Yondu has finished his errands yet.” 

“Dunno, but he’s had time to finish errands fer everybody on Xandar by now.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” you asked, as you considered whether to go right or left.

“We’ve been in here for hours.”

“It has not been hours! Maybe forty-five minutes. Let’s go right,” you stated confidently, taking the path to the right.

“Y/N, I swear we’ve been in here for days. I’m starvin’.” 

“Honestly. Are you always hungry?”

“Just admit it – we’re lost.”

“Never! We are not lost.”

“I didn’t think navigators ever got lost,” he teased.

“We are _not_ lost,” you repeated.

“We’ve walked past this same scarecrow three times, Y/N. We’re lost.”

You sighed. “Fine. We may have gotten a little turned around.”

“A little?”

“A lot,” you conceded. “Okay, you pick the next path. I am obviously better at navigating the stars than I am at getting through mazes.

Kraglin laughed. “Let’s go left.”

Taking the path to the left, you told Kraglin, “You can never tell anyone about this. I would never hear the end of it.”

He laughed again. “I’ll do my best to keep it between us.”

After wandering through the maze for a while longer – three more days, according to Kraglin – you came to another split in the path. “Let’s go right. I bet the exit is right around this corner.”

“I hope so. I’m gonna pass out from hunger soon.”

You rolled your eyes as you turned right. “I’ll buy you the biggest sandwich you can find when we get out of here,” you promised him.

As you turned the next corner, you saw the exit ahead. “Ha! I told you it was around the next corner!”

“Lucky guess,” Kraglin snickered. 

“It was not a lucky guess. I knew where we were the whole time. I only pretended to get lost to give you a chance to lead the way for a while.”

Kraglin laughed so hard you thought he was going to choke. “Thank ya so much fer the opportunity.”

Holding your head high as you continued walking to the exit, you replied smoothly, “You’re welcome.”

Kraglin was still giggling behind you as you reached the exit and saw a familiar blue-skinned Ravager standing there waiting, holding a picnic basket. Stunned, you stopped walking, causing Kraglin to bump into you.

“Y’all get lost?” Yondu asked, grinning at the confused look on your face. 

Still giggling, Kraglin answered, “’Course not, ya know navigators never get lost. Ain’t that right, Y/N?”

Still bemused by the sight of Yondu holding a picnic basket, it took you a moment to realize Kraglin had said your name. “What? Oh, yeah. Right. We never get lost.”

“What’s that ya got there, Cap’n?”

“What’s it look like? It’s a picnic basket,” he replied gruffly.

He glanced at you, and you could have sworn there was a purple tint to his cheeks. Was he _blushing_? That was _your_ job. 

Oblivious, Kraglin continued, “Ya goin’ on a picnic?”

“Yeah, think so. If I can find somebody to go with me. What do ya say, Y/N? Wanna go?”

Hardly daring to believe it, you smiled shyly and said, “I’d love to.”

Kraglin finally seemed to realize what was going on. “Oh. Oh. ‘K, I think I’m gonna go find some food. Y’all have fun.”

Grinning at the pair of you, he waved and walked off towards the food booths. There was a beat of awkward silence as you both watched Kraglin walking into the bustling crowd

Yondu finally broke it by handing you a slightly battered bundle of flowers that he had been holding behind his back. “I got ya these.”

A Ravager Captain giving you flowers? Would wonders never cease?

“They’re beautiful, thank you!” you beamed at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen these in a shop.”

“I mighta picked ‘em outta somebody’s garden,” he grinned. 

You laughed – _there_ was the Ravager you knew – then said, “Well, they’re lovely.”

“I’m glad ya like ‘em. So, ya ready to go?”

“Yes!”

As you started walking away from the crowds, he told you, “I think I got the perfect spot. I asked ‘round town before I found ya.”

“I can’t wait to see it,” you replied, smiling at him.


	4. Chapter Four

As you walked with Yondu to the spot he had picked for the picnic, you asked him if he’d commissioned the maps. 

“Yeah, he said it should take about a week to finish ‘em. Plenty of time to enjoy the fair.” 

“Perfect! There’s still so much I want to do.”

“What did you and Kraglin do all mornin’?”

“We got cinammon apple fritters, then walked through the maze.”

He looked surprised. “Wha’? That’s it? I left y’all three hours ago.”

“We were in the maze for… a while.”

“Ya got lost, didn’t ya?” he grinned.

“Of course not. We were just enjoying the view.”

Still grinning, he said, “Yeah, I heard it’s quite a sight to see all the different kinds of hay.”

“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”

“Maybe we could try it tomorrow, but we probably need to start early. I wanna be out before it gets dark.”

Laughing, you shoved his arm. “I’ll let you lead the way. We’ll see how long it takes you to get out.”

You walked a little farther along the path, laughing and talking, until Yondu said, “I think this is where we get off the path. The man I talked to said to look fer this big tree, then go right fer a few minutes, ‘til we find a ‘lil river.”

As you walked off the path into the trees, you sighed contentedly. The leaves on the trees were all bright red, orange, and gold, and they whispered softly in the light breeze. You could still see the deep blue of the sky through the treetops, and the cheerful sound of birdsong surrounded you. 

“There’s the river. We’ jus’ gotta cross the bridge and climb that ‘lil hill, an’ we should be there,” Yondu told you.

As you crossed the bridge, you could see the water of the river below you sparkling in the sunlight. When you reached the foot of the hill, Yondu took your hand. “Might be slippery,” he said, though you could tell it wasn’t a steep hill. 

As you reached the top of the hill, you gasped. You were on the edge of a sunlit, flower-filled meadow that seemed to go on for miles. A few golden trees were dotted throughout, and the blue sky stretched out above you. 

“What do ya think?” Yondu asked.

You turned to him, beaming, and replied, “It’s beautiful.”

Looking at you, he said, “Yeah, it is.” You blushed as he continued, “Let’s find a place to sit.”

You picked a spot in the shade of one of the golden trees, nestled in a patch of pink and purple flowers, with a view of the river gently meandering through the valley below you. 

You realized Yondu was still holding your hand. Nervously you asked, “What about here?”

“Looks perfect,” he said, letting go of your hand to set the basket down and pull out a checked yellow and white blanket from within it.

“Is that something else you picked up out of someone’s garden?” you asked.

“Nah, I actually bought this,” he chuckled, as he spread the blanket on the ground. He sat down, and you joined him.

“Hope yer hungry,” he said, as he passed you a sandwich and a bottle of lemonade.

“I’m starving!”

“Good. I got plenty of food. More san’wiches, some ‘lil cakes, a couple pies…”

You peeked into the basket.

“How many people were you planning to feed up here?”

“I jus’ wasn’t sure what ya would want, so I got a variety.”

“Well, it all looks good,’ you replied, as you took a bite of your sandwich. “This is delicious.”

Yondu looked pleased. “Glad ya like it.”

After a few minutes of eating and talking, Yondu cleared his throat and asked, “So, uh, do ya know what I’m doin’?”

“Eating a sandwich?”

“No, I… I mean, yeah, I’m eatin’ a san’wich, but I mean, do ya know why I brought ya here? On a picnic? With me?”

He was more nervous than you had ever seen him. You weren’t used to this version of Yondu. 

“Um, I’m not… I’m not sure…” you stammered. You knew what it would mean if a _Xandarian_ had brought you here on a picnic, but you weren’t sure if Yondu meant it in the same way. 

“Yer not gonna make this easy, are ya?” He set his sandwich down, rubbed his face, then suddenly stood up and walked to the edge of the clearing, looking down at the river.

Bemused, you set your sandwich down, too.

“Yondu, what are you doing?”

He turned to face you, and said, “Ya know the Xandarian custom with the basket an’ food’ an’ picnic an’ ever’thing?”

“Of course.”

“Well, there ya go…” He gestured vaguely. 

You looked at him in confusion. “What are you saying?”

“I’m sayin’ that I have feelin's for ya, Y/N. I ain’t tryin’ to pressure ya or anythin’, and I ain’t expectin’ ya to feel the same. I jus’… I wanted ya to know.”

Never, in your wildest dreams, did you imagine you would hear those words from him. You got to your feet and walked over to stand in front of him. 

You looked him in the eye and said, “I do feel the same way, Yondu.”

He broke into a grin and placed his hands on your hips, then started rambling. “So ever’thin' was okay? Ya liked the food? I ain’t ever been on a picnic before, I wasn’t real sure what to do…”

“Everything is perfect,” you reassured him. “And, I’ve already told you,” you continued, as you wrapped your arms around his neck, “the food isn’t the point.”

He grinned again. “This is nice.”

“Yeah, it is,” you said, returning his smile.

You looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, then you asked, “So, do you want to go back to the fair?”

“Maybe later,” he replied, before kissing you gently.


End file.
